National Parks Tour in Northern Israel, 14 days

This is the tour about the National Parks, but this time we focus on North of Israel. The other National Parks and Reserves tour focuses on the middle and south of Israel. What’s sp specially about this particular tour is that it is longer then the ones of the middle and South Israel National Parks. Instead of the 10 days, this one is 14 days long. What’s also different in this itinerary is, that I added the link to the Google Maps for each of the parks, because I know that many people simply go by themselves (and why not?).

Note This is not a low budget tour! This tour is a quality tour.

What is the program for this tour? We will meet one of the first Homo Sapiens at Nahal Me’arot, we see the wild nature at Ein Afek, the ancient city Tel Megiddo, water, waterfalls, streams at Nahal Betzet and Nahal Kziv with castles, Crusaders, grottoes, mountains, forests, cave-fortresses, and much more.

Day 1 – Arrival

This is the day that you arrive in Israel. Well, it’s not the case for those who are already here or who are living in Israel.

For those who are arriving in Israel, will be picked up from the airport by the guide and driver from Shalom Israel.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel and for this tour it means Haifa.

During the drive to your hotel, the bus will stop multiple times if the group requires so. One stop is for stretching your legs and to be fed real food and drink. That is included in the tour! So, please don’t spend your money on that.

Depending when you all arrive at your hotel, we will start this tour with a special dinner, and a special evening tour. This depends on when the group is complete on this day of arrival. But what’s for sure, you are going to meat the guides. If the group is small, you have two guides, otherwise you have four guides.

One word of warning. This is a tour, which focusing itself on visiting parks and reserves and that means hiking. Not extreme hiking, but you walk a lot!

Each day after the breakfast we leave (at about 9 AM) and we are back between late afternoon/ early evening (6-7 PM). Some days you might be earlier back to your hotel, in those cases special evening tours are organized for those who still have the energy.

Lunch is normally served in a restaurant. But many days this is impractical or even impossible. Instead at those days you will be offered a picnic or barbecue. Breakfast is served at the hotel and dinner is served at the hotel or restaurant.

Snacks are available in the bus throughout the day (and one of the guides carries always something) (fruit, sweets, chocolates, etc.). Water is being delivered before and during the tour by us. We have many bottles of water for you to take. Hats we have too, because it’s likely that it’ll will be hot! And we have reserve shoes in case your will break during the tour.

Day 2 – Visit the first human a the Nahal Me’arot Nature Reserve

The southern bank of Nahal Me`arot lies on the lower reaches of the western part of the Carmel Mountain Range. Caves here contain evidence of inhabitation by prehistoric human beings. These caves are particularly significant because the articles discovered in them indicate that the caves were settled continuously for 200 thousand years, something almost unheard of. The tour of the reserve begins with a visit to the large Oven Cave, where archeologists have identified three different prehistoric cultures, and continues to the smaller Camel Cave, which has an exhibition of tools used during the Mousterian culture period. The third cave, the 70-meter-deep Stream Cave, has an audiovisual presentation about life during prehistoric times.
Outside the cave is a model of a skeleton illustrating the burial practices of members of Natufian culture, who lived some ten thousand years ago.

Members of five prehistoric cultures inhabited the caves at Nahal Me`arot: Acheulian culture (150-200 thousand years ago), Muarian culture (100-150 thousand years ago), Mousterian culture (40-100 thousand years ago), Uriniacian culture (12-40 thousand years ago), and Natufian culture (9-12 thousand years ago). Remnants from the Natufian period were found at the mouth of Stream Cave, where a small village served as a permanent settlement. During this period, people began to hunt and gather in an organized fashion, the precursor to planting crops and domesticating animals. Art objects, such as stone carvings and strings of shells, were produced during this time.

In the spring, the reserve is awash with flowers. Signposted trails from the parking lot lead to a number of exquisite spots on the Carmel Mountain Range. At the reserve`s guidance center, visitors can purchase guidebooks and maps and perhaps ask the wardens about the hikes they would most highly recommend.

We return to our hotel in Haifa.

Day 3 – Look at the amazing and fast disappearing swamps and it’s beautiful nature at the Ein Afek Nature Reserve

CTYEA0 Israel, Northern District Ein Afek Nature Reserve on the Naaman River The Crusader mill station

The Ein Afek Nature Reserve, on the outskirts of Kiryat Bialik, is the last vestige of the Nahal Na`aman swamps, which once extended all the way to the Acre valley. The Ein Afek Spring is in the nature reserve. A wooden path over the swamp passes near typical riverbank flora, such as tamarisk trees, blackberry hedges, reeds, and bulrushes. Plants growing in the water include duckweed and pond weeds. Apium and watercress can be spotted near the water.

When the water level rises in the winter, birds flock to the reserve: pelicans, cranes, pygmy cormorants, gray herons, moorhens, European coots, and black-winged stilts, to name just a few. In the winter and spring, the reserve is carpeted with flowers. A fine spot for admiring the blossoms is Tel Afek, situated on a low sandstone hill on the edge of the reserve. On the northern slope of Tel Afek is a two-story fortified building from the Crusader period, where a film about the flora and fauna in the reserve is now screened. A flour mill once operated on the lower floor of the building. The roof affords a magnificent view of the surrounding area.

In April 1991, seven buffalo were brought to the reserve from the Hula Nature Reserve and placed in a pen with electric sensors, to prevent them from wandering into the swamp. From time to time they can be seen grazing or stretching out in the specially dug pond.

The guidance center at the reserve provides information in Hebrew and Arabic to members of the general public, students, and educational institutions about the Land of Israel, ecology, wetlands, and biotopes.

We return to our hotel in Haifa.

Day 4 – Ancient city with thousands of years of history at Tel Megiddo National Park

Megiddo is a tell in northern Israel near Kibbutz Megiddo, about 30 km south-east of Haifa, known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance, especially under its Greek name Armageddon. In ancient times Megiddo was an important city-state. Excavations have unearthed 26 layers of ruins, indicating a long period of settlement. Megiddo is strategically located at the head of a pass through the Carmel Ridge overlooking the Jezreel Valley from the west.
The site is now protected as Megiddo National Park and is a World Heritage Site.

History

Megiddo was a site of great importance in the ancient world. It guarded the western branch of a narrow pass and trade route connecting Egypt and Assyria. Because of its strategic location, Megiddo was the site of several historical battles. The site was inhabited from approximately 7000 BC to 586 BCE (the same time as the destruction of the First Israelite Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and subsequent fall of Israelite rule and exile), though the first significant remains date to the Chalcolithic period (4500-3500 BCE). Megiddo’s Early Bronze Age I (3500-3100 BCE) temple has been described by its excavators as “the most monumental single edifice so far uncovered in the EB I Levant and ranks among the largest structures of its time in the Near East.” The first wall was constructed in the Early Bronze Age II or III period. However, the town experienced a decline in the Early Bronze-Age IV period (2300-2000 BCE), but the city was somewhat revived around 2000 BCE. Following massive construction, the town reached its largest size in the Middle Bronze-Age, at 10-12 hectares. Though the city was subjugated by Thutmose III, it still prospered, and a massive and incredibly elaborate palace was constructed in the Late Bronze Age. The city was destroyed around 1150 BCE, and the area was resettled by what some scholars have identified as early Israelites, before being replaced with an unwalled Philistine town. When the Israelites captured it, though, it became an important city, before being destroyed, possibly by Aramaean raiders, and rebuilt, this time as an administrative center for Tiglath-Pileser III’s occupation of Samaria. However, its importance soon dwindled, and it was finally abandoned around 586 BCE. Since that time it has remained uninhabited, preserving ruins pre-dating 586 BCE without settlements ever disturbing them. Instead, the town of Lajjun (not to be confused with the el-Lajjun archaeological site in Jordan) was built up near to the site, but without inhabiting or disturbing its remains.
Megiddo is mentioned in Ancient Egyptian writings because one of Egypt’s mighty kings, Thutmose III, waged war upon the city in 1478 BCE. The battle is described in detail in the hieroglyphics found on the walls of his temple in Upper Egypt.
Mentioned in the Bible as “Derekh HaYam” or “Way of the Sea,” it became an important military artery of the Roman Empire and was known as the Via Maris.

Famous battles include:

Battle of Megiddo (15th century BCE): fought between the armies of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition led by the rulers of Megiddo and Kadesh.

Battle of Megiddo (609 BCE): fought between Egyptian pharaoh Necho II and the Kingdom of Judah, in which King Josiah fell.

Battle of Megiddo (1918): fought during World War I between Allied troops, led by General

Edmund Allenby, and the defending Ottoman army.

Kibbutz Megiddo is nearby, less than 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) to the south. Today, Megiddo Junction is on the main road connecting the center of Israel with lower Galilee and the north. It lies at the northern entrance to Wadi Ara, an important mountain pass connecting the Jezreel Valley with Israel’s coastal plain.
In 1964, during Pope Paul VI’s visit to the Holy Land, Megiddo was the site where he met with Israeli dignitaries, including Israeli President Zalman Shazar and Prime Minister Levi Eshkol.

We return to our hotel in Haifa or Afula.

Day 5 – Beautiful nature and loads of water to hike through at Nahal Betzet

Nahal Betzet is a stream in the Upper Galilee in Israel. The stream runs through the Betzet nature reserve. The Betzet stream is the northernmost stream in Israel which empties into the Mediterranean Sea within Israel borders.

The Betzet Stream runs through limestone, and is fed by the Karkara springs. The national water company pumps the water from the stream, and in 1999 the stream dried up. Water is being pumped back into the stream, but the ecosystem is being damaged by the poor quality water.
Many caves were formed in the limestone by the stream. These include the Keshet Cave and the Namir stalactite cave, both within the Betzet nature reserve. A few ancient sites can also be found within the nature reserve.
There are a number of hiking trails which run through the reserve. This trail takes you from Granot HaGalil to Moshav Ya’ara, and will take about half a day. The trail is of medium difficulty. The trail is the blue trail, marked 2206 on the trail maps.

The hike begins at the Sarakh stream, which is the main tributary to the Betzet Stream. The Sarach Stream, is named for the Sarach or ferns which adorn the creek walls. The trail passes the De’ne’ilah ruins. The De’Ne’ilah ruins are the remains of a farm from the Roman and Byzantine periods, from the 1st-7th centuries CE. A number of oil presses were excavated at the site.

The hike then passes the Sarakh stalactite cave; the cave is closed during the bat hibernation season in the winter, but is otherwise open to tourists. The Sarach cave is a large karstic cave; the first 10 meters are relatively easy and a stalagmite stands in front of a wall. If you wish to continue further into the cave, climb the carved stairs in the wall, using the handholds as you climb. At the top of the climb, the left side is closed and reserved for the bats. On the right side is a narrow and steep passage; handholds can be found on the left. This leads to a narrow tunnel where you will need to crawl. This leads to an exit at the top of the cave; head back down to the stream with care.

After the cave, the Sarakh stream leads into the Betzet Stream. A pool of water amongst oleanders signals the Karkara springs. The pumped-in water runs from here until a large pool, which used to overflow with water.
Continue on the trail, past the turn to the Keshet Cave and the turn to Kibbutz Eilon and the Mekorot water pumping station.
The trail leads past the Karkara ruins, a Byzantine period settlement with a restored oil press, and continues on leading to Moshav Ya’ara.

We return to our hotel in Nahariyya.

Day 6 – Between the amazing nature and water and forests you see the ruins and castle of the old Crusaders at Nahal Kziv

Nahal Kziv is a 20-kilometer long perennial stream in the Upper Galilee, Israel. During the winter, rainfall fills the channel, and springs along the riverbed add to the flow. Currently, Mekorot (the national water company) pumps the water of the river’s principal spring, Ein Ziv, and supplies it to the residents of the Western Galilee, making the channel between Ein Ziv and Ein Tamir an intermittent stream. On the southern ridge overlooking the valley sits a 12th-century Crusader castle, Montfort, the old headquarters of the Teutonic Order in the Holy Land.

Most of the stream is part of a nature reserve that bears its name, and includes the Montfort Castle and other Crusader-period ruins. A stone carving of a man, 1.78 m high can be found near where the Abirim stream empties into Nahal Kziv. The carving is thought to date from the Hellenistic period.
Flora in the area includes Lilium candidum, Rubus sanguineus, Nerium oleander, Platanus orientalis, Artemisia arborescens, and Ferns. Persian fallow deer were brought to the area in 1996, as part of an effort to prevent extinction of the species. Other wildlife belonging to the nature reserve include golden jackals, wolves, wild boar, and the rare striped hyena.

Rosh HaNikra is a geologic formation in Israel, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos.
The Rosh HaNikra grottos are cavernous tunnels formed by sea action on the soft chalk rock. The total length is some 200 metres. They branch off in various directions with some interconnecting segments. In the past, the only access to them was from the sea and experienced divers were the only ones capable of visiting. Today a cable car takes visitors down to see the grottos. A kibbutz, also named Rosh HaNikra, is located nearby. The Israeli city Nahariya is located about 10 km (6 miles) south of Rosh HaNikra.

History
The former British Cairo-Istanbul railway tunnel photographed in 1964.
The Book of Joshua mentions “Misraphot Mayim” as a place south of Rosh HaNikra that was the border of the Israelite tribes of the time (13:6). Jewish sages referred to the cliff as “The Ladder of Tyre” (Hebrew: sullam Tzor?). The site was later renamed A-Nawakir (“the grottos”) after an Arab conquest. The present name, Rosh HaNikra, is Hebrew for the later Arabic name “Ras-an-Nakura”.
Throughout human history, Rosh HaNikra served as a passage point for trade caravans and armies between Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt, and Africa. During World War II, British Commonwealth forces blasted railway tunnels through the nearby rocks for trains running along the Cairo-Istanbul line. A railway bridge was destroyed by Jewish underground fighters prior to 1948 during the Night of the bridges operation. The tunnel portal leading to Lebanon has since been sealed. Nowadays all the railways on the Lebanese side of the border have been dismantled while the Coastal Railway in Israel currently ends near Nahariya, several kilometers to the south.
Rosh Hanikra was the location where Israeli and Lebanese officials negotiated and concluded an armistice agreement in 1949 which ended the Lebanese-Israeli component of the 1948 War of Israeli Independence. A border passage across the Blue Line into Lebanon at the site is sometimes used by UNIFIL personnel.

The Rosh HaNikra national park also has jurisdiction of 220 dunams in the area.

Cable car
The Rosh HaNikra cable car is a cable car serving tourists wishing to visit the grottoes The Cable car is situated very close to the Lebanese border. The site is popular with tourists, and is one of the facilities available for tourists in Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra. The cable car was manufactured by Austrian manufacturer Doppelmayr Garaventa Group, and claims to be the steepest cable car in the world, ascending at a gradient of 60 degrees. Due to its lower base station being located on the sea, the cable car is occasionally affected by stormy weather.

We return to our hotel in Nahariyya.

Day 8 – The highest peak in Israel at Mount Meron

Mount Meron is a mountain in Israel. It has special significance in Jewish religious tradition and parts of it have been declared a nature reserve.
At 1,208 metres (3,963 ft) above sea level, Mount Meron is the highest peak in Israel, though many peaks in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are higher.
In 1965, an 84000-dunam nature reserve was declared. An additional 1199 dunams were declared part of the reserve in 2005. It is the highest reserve in Israel, at an altitude of 1208 meters above sea level, and the largest reserve in the north of the country.

Religious significance
The village of Meron and the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai are on Mount Meron. Leading up to the anniversary of his death on Lag B’Omer, thousands of people camp out along the slopes near the tomb, and on Lag B’Omer itself, hundreds of thousands make pilgrimages to celebrate the occasion.

Hiking paths
The mountain has a strong undergrowth and it cannot be walked up from every direction. The main path starts at the north west side of the Meron village. There is a gate next to the road, with a color-marked path of about 10 km. There is also a path on the west side of the mountain.

We return to our hotel in Tiberias or Nahariyya.

Day 9 – Waterfalls, streams and all of that between the forests, mountains at Nahal Ayun

Nahal Ayun is a perennial stream in the Galilee Panhandle, Israel. The stream originates from the springs in the Marjayoun valley in southern Lebanon, and runs southward for seven kilometers in various irrigation ditches, until flowing into Israel near Metulla, as a tributary of the Jordan River in the Hula Valley.

Nature Reserve Eshed Fall

Differences in elevation form waterfalls in the streams course. During the rainy winter months, the water-flow is strongest. During the summer months, water is diverted, closer to the stream’s sources, for crop irrigation. These falls were declared a nature reserve, and include:

Ayun waterfall, 9.2 m

Tahana waterfall (=flourmill), 21 m

Eshed waterfall, with two steps, 5 m and 9 m

Tanur waterfall, 30 m

We return to our hotel in Tiberias or Nahariyya.

Day 10 – The most amazing cliffs to watch the whole northern Israel at the Arbel National Park and Nature Reserve

Mount Arbel is a mountain in The Lower Galilee near Tiberias in Israel, with high cliffs, views of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, trails to a cave-fortress, and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Mt. Arbel sits across from Mount Nitai; their cliffs were created as a result of the Jordan Rift Valley and the geological faults that produced the valleys.
There are four villages on the mountain: Kfar Zeitim, Arbel, Kfar Hittim, and Mitzpa. The peak, at 181 metres above sea level (380 metres above the surrounding area), dominates the surroundings (much of the area is below sea level) and from the lookout atop the mountain, almost all of the Galilee into the Golan Heights including Safed, Tiberias and most of the Sea of Galilee, is visible.

Nature reserve and national park
The area was declared a nature reserve in 1967, covering 1400 dunams. The national park (8509 dunams) includes most of Nahal Arbel, that begins near Eilabun and empties into the Sea of Galilee near Migdal. The reserve covers the immediate area around the cliff.
Mount Arbel from Nof Ginnosar.jpg
On the south side of the cliff, there is a gradual prolonged climb through agricultural and pasture land and from the peak there is a steep 400 meters drop. From here there are metal handholds driven into the rock to aid those who want to make the climb down to the valley below. Below that are a series of switchbacks that eventually lead to the Bedouin village of Hamaam.
Mt. Arbel, with its 110 metre vertical drop, is the only known mountain in Israel to serve as a base jumping site. A hike to the top of Mount Arbel from the south is included in the Israel National Trail, and an approach from the west is part of the Jesus Trail; the trails converge temporarily at the peak.

We return to our hotel in Tiberias.

Day 11 – Ancient city in the old Kingdom of Israel at Tel Dan Nature Reserve

Tel Dan Nature Reserve. While it’s winter in Israel, it might snow in Jerusalem, but in southern Israel it’s hot!

Dan is a city mentioned in the Bible, described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel, belonging to the Tribe of Dan. The city is identified with the tel known as Tel Dan.

History and archaeology
According to the archaeological excavations at the site, the town was originally occupied in the late Neolithic era (c 4500 BCE), although at some time in the fourth millennium BC it was abandoned, for almost 1,000 years.

Tel Dan nature reserve
The Tel Dan reserve was first declared on 391 dunams surrounding the tel in 1974. 90 dunams were added to the reserve in 1989. The Dan River is one of the three water sources of the Jordan River that meet in the northern part of the Hula Valley.

We return to our hotel in Tiberias.

Day 12 – Find the mountain with deep cliffs, trails, grottoes and cave-fortress at Mount Arbel

Mount Arbel is a mountain in The Lower Galilee near Tiberias in Israel, with high cliffs, views of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, trails to a cave-fortress, and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Mt. Arbel sits across from Mount Nitai; their cliffs were created as a result of the Jordan Rift Valley and the geological faults that produced the valleys.
There are four villages on the mountain: Kfar Zeitim, Arbel, Kfar Hittim, and Mitzpa. The peak, at 181 metres above sea level (380 metres above the surrounding area), dominates the surroundings (much of the area is below sea level) and from the lookout atop the mountain, almost all of the Galilee into the Golan Heights including Safed, Tiberias and most of the Sea of Galilee, is visible.

The area was declared a nature reserve in 1967, covering 1400 dunams. The national park (8509 dunams) includes most of Nahal Arbel, that begins near Eilabun and empties into the Sea of Galilee near Migdal. The reserve covers the immediate area around the cliff.
On the south side of the cliff, there is a gradual prolonged climb through agricultural and pasture land and from the peak there is a steep 400 meters drop. From here there are metal handholds driven into the rock to aid those who want to make the climb down to the valley below. Below that are a series of switchbacks that eventually lead to the Bedouin village of Hamaam.
Mt. Arbel, with its 110 metre vertical drop, is the only known mountain in Israel to serve as a base jumping site. A hike to the top of Mount Arbel from the south is included in the Israel National Trail, and an approach from the west is part of the Jesus Trail; the trails converge temporarily at the peak.

We return to our hotel in Tiberias.

Day 13 – This is hiking around this mountain at Mount Tabor

Walking paths
There are two paths: the long track, which starts from the Bedouin village Shibli, which length is about five kilometers long and a short nature track of about 2.5 kilometers at the summit.
The track which surrounds the mountain passes in well-developed Mediterranean woodlands. the color marking alternates to green at the eastern part of the track. Behind the monastery its possible to see remnants from the First Jewish-Roman War. In the path there is a view of the Jezreel Valley, Mount Gilboa, Samaria mountains, Mount Carmel, the Golan Heights, Gilead, the Lower Galilee and the Upper Galilee. On days with good visibility one could also see the Mount Hermon.
Israel National Trail goes up the mountain from mount Tabor the Gazit junction and the Shibli village, surrounding the summit and descends across the Arab village of Daburiyya towards the Nazareth mountains.

Activities on Mount Tabor
In April each year, the regional council of Lower Galilee holds a 12 kilometer race around Mount Tabor in memory of Yitzhak Sadeh, the first commander of the Palmach and one of the founders of the Israel Defense Forces at the time of the State of Israel’s independence.
By obtaining a game permit issued by the Ministry of the Interior, hunting of small animals is allowed in certain designated seasons.
The churches located on the mountain allow visits at specific hours. (Modest attire required).
Approximately three quarters of the way up the mountain, a path circles it entirely and is accessible for private vehicles as well (four-wheel drive advised).
The mountain serves as one of Israel’s preferred locales for hang gliding.

Church of the Transfiguration
Between 1919 until 1924 an impressive Roman Catholic church of the Franciscan order named “Church of the Transfiguration” was built on the peak of Mount Tabor. The architect who designed the church, as well as other churches in Israel, was Antonio Barluzzi. The church was built upon the ruins of a Byzantine church from the fifth or sixth century and a Crusader church from the 12th century, which was built in honor of Tancred, Prince of Galilee. The friars of the church live next to the church in a monastery established in 1873.

The Eastern Orthodox sanctuary
Bell tower of the Eastern Orthodox monastery.
On the northeast side of the Church of the Transfiguration there is the more modest Orthodox Church which was built in 1862 with funds from Romania. The church was dedicated to Elijah the prophet and was the first religious structure built by Romanian Christians in the Holy Land.
On the northwest side of the church there is a cave named after Melchizedek the King of Salem. According to the Christian tradition, this cave was the place where Abraham met the king of Salem. The cave was known to pilgrims and Christians during the Middle Ages. With an increase in pilgrimages, the church is now open to the public (though it closes for a few hours at noon).
An All-Night Vigil is held at the Eastern Orthodox church every year on the Orthodox Feast of the Transfiguration (August 19, which is August 6 according to the Julian Calendar).

We return to our hotel in Tiberias.

Day 14 – Departure

Airplane

Before you leave, some breakfast first. And this is honestly not some breakfast, it’s a breakfast feast!

This is the day of the departure. We bring everyone back to the point where we picked them up.

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Encyclopedia for the Tourist in Israel: Tourists in Israel

For those who are visiting Eilat (or are going to do that) without plan (like most of you do), here are some tips for you to make your life a bit easier if you want to see something of Eilat. It’s the problem of getting there and how to move around and with what. Did you know that you can fly to Eilat instead of driving for 4 hours by car? Do you know how much that cost? It cost you $35 and 35 minutes. Voila, you earned your reading back with this.

Eilat’s accommodation ranges from the good to the bad to the downright ugly – this is not a place to expect a charming or unique hotel experience. As is the case with most resort towns, the cost of hotel rooms rises by about 25% at weekends and 50% (or more) during Israeli school holidays and in July/August. Reserve ahead during these times. The prices we have cited in our reviews are at the higher end of the mid-season range. If you enjoy staying in five-star chain hotels, you’ll be spoiled for choice. There are more than 50 options around the lagoons at North Beach and along the road to Taba, including nine Isrotels, two Dan Hotels and seven hotels in the Leonardo/Herod group. Most have bland decor, restaurants where the fixed-price buffet reigns supreme, large pool areas and decent but not exceptional levels of service.

Beaches and water sport are the dominating swimming activities in Eilat and in this article you will see what you can do here and what beaches we are talking about. In Eilat, there are two types of beach/water-tourists; those who love to swim in the Red Sea and those who prefer the water pools of their hotel.

Tel Aviv has loads of restaurants in all kinds, representing all areas of the Arab world, as is the rest of the world. And you know what, you can always find something for any budget. You can choose a boutique type restaurant, or you can choose a restaurant, where you have a full meal for a few shekels. And then there are those restaurants, which are based on the rising crop of ‘chef restaurants’ and an ever-growing number of swanky brasseries.

There are accommodation choices to meet every budget and style requirement in Tel Aviv, but the city’s ever-expanding range of boutique hotels includes the most alluring options. The best location for visitors is the wedge of the south city centre bounded by Rothschild Blvd, Sheinkin St and Allenby St, which is richly endowed with cafes and restaurants. It’s also within walking distance of most sights. Further away, Jaffa offers some stylish boutique options and a vibrant Arab-influenced street life.

It’s not quite as old as nearby Jaffa – history here stretches back ‘only’ 1300 years – but Ramla’s bustling market, underground pools and crumbling Islamic architecture make it an interesting half-day trip from Tel Aviv. Try to visit on a Wednesday, when the market is at its busiest and most colorful. Established in 716 CE by the Umayyid caliph Suleiman, Ramla (spot of sand) was a stopover on the road from Egypt to Damascus. Prior to the arrival of the Crusaders in the 11th century, it was Palestine’s capital and it maintained its importance in the Middle Ages as the first stop for the Jerusalem-bound pilgrims who came ashore at Jaffa. Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War the majority of the Arab population were expelled or fled and was replaced by poor Jewish immigrants, mainly from Asia (eg India) and North Africa. It’s now a friendly mix of Arabs (20%) and Jews (80%).

The self-titled ‘Israeli Riviera’ offers 12km of the finest sandy beaches in Israel & the Palestinian Territories, while the town itself exudes a rather strange, time-warp feeling, almost like an out-of season French seaside resort. It’s popular with families, who flock to the spacious promenade with its parks, flower beds and water features. As at Herzliya, the beaches are a favourite with visiting European (especially French and Russian) tourists but are far less crowded than those of Tel Aviv. In August or September, the town has the dubious distinction of hosting the annual two-day Netanya International Clown Festival.

Just 12km north of central Tel Aviv, Herzliya is popular due to its fine, clean beaches, marina mall and string of seafront cafes. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya started as a small farming community in 1924 and now consists of two main areas separated by Hwy 2. Middle-class, suburban central Herzliya, east of the highway, is mainly residential and commercial, while Herzliya Pituach (west of the highway) – a neighborhood of huge villas that’s home to some of Israel’s wealthiest residents – is where the beaches are. Herzliya Pituach is also home to Israel’s blossoming high-tech industry; as a result, modern office blocks are rising up all.

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An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.

Red Square remains, as it has been for centuries, the heart and soul of Russia. Few places in the world bear the weight of history to the extent that Moscow’s central square does. From the 16th Century St. Basil’s Cathedral – one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world – to the constructivist pyramid of Lenin’s Mausoleum, Red Square is rich in symbols of Russia’s turbulent and intriguing past.

Known as the “Russian Versailles,” Peterhof is a series of palaces and courtyards full of glinting gold statues and wondrous fountains surrounded by manicured grounds. Preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Site, the initial construction of the Peterhof complex began around 1714 when Peter the Great commissioned a pleasure palace across the sea from the island fortress of Kronstadt. Especially amazing is the Grand Cascade, a series of stepped fountains surrounded by gilded statues flowing down to a remarkable grand fountain.

Finished in all its present-day lavishness in 1756, this Rococo palace functioned as the Russian monarch’s summer home until the monarchy was deposed in 1917. During World War II, the German army destroyed much of the palace’s gilded interior and left only its hollow bones. Renovations were finished in 2003 and the palace is now a great tourist destination as well a venue for elite concerts and gatherings.

Constructed in 1732 and heavily altered for the next two decades, the Winter Palace (in reality the fourth Winter Palace, as the first three iterations were not exquisite enough for Russian monarchs such as Peter the Great and Catherine I) served as the official residence of the Russian monarchy until the Revolution of 1917. The white and teal Winter Palace is one of six major historical buildings which comprise one of the most massive museums in the world, the Hermitage of St. Petersburg.

Vasily Stasov designed the Grand Choral Synagogue in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was completed in 1893 as a central worship space for the area’s growing Jewish community. One of the synagogue’s most notably opulent features is its 47 m copula. It was also possible to get married here at the lavish adjoining wedding chapel. The synagogue stands as a reflection of the prominent roles many Jewish individuals played in this period of Russia’s history. Today you can visit this house of worship, which was entirely restored in 2003. There are a variety of activities on offer and several surrounding Jewish cultural shops.

Metéora (“suspended in the air”) is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six Christian monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. In the 14th century, Athanasios Koinovitis from Mount Athos founded the great Meteoron monastery on Broad Rock. The location was perfect for the monks; they were safe from political upheaval and had complete control of the entry to the monasteries. Access to the monasteries was deliberately difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced only “when the Lord let them break”.

Kiev Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery in Kiev, Ukraine. Since its foundation as the cave monastery in 1015 the Lavra has been a preeminent center of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe. The Kiev Pechersk Lavra contains numerous architectural monuments, ranging from he Great Lavra Belltower, the notable feature of the Kiev skyline, to cathedrals to underground cave systems and to strong stone fortification walls.

Recent Posts: Perfect Buildings Blog

The Cathedral of Guadalajara started to be constructed on the 31st of July 1568 and concluded on the 19th of February 1618, ordered by King of Spain Felipe II. Few people know it has the official title of “Basílica de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Virgen María”, because it was consecrated to her.

Aya Sofya is the great architectural landmark at the heart of Istanbul, with its four minarets poised like moon-bound rockets. Constructed in the 6th century AD as an Orthodox church, it later became a mosque and, since 1935, a museum. The enormous structure was built in just five years, and its musk walls are topped by an imposing dome, 31m wide and 56m high. The dome’s base is ringed by windows, so that from within the structure, the dome seems almost to hover ethereally above the building.

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.

Red Square remains, as it has been for centuries, the heart and soul of Russia. Few places in the world bear the weight of history to the extent that Moscow’s central square does. From the 16th Century St. Basil’s Cathedral – one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world – to the constructivist pyramid of Lenin’s Mausoleum, Red Square is rich in symbols of Russia’s turbulent and intriguing past.

Known as the “Russian Versailles,” Peterhof is a series of palaces and courtyards full of glinting gold statues and wondrous fountains surrounded by manicured grounds. Preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Site, the initial construction of the Peterhof complex began around 1714 when Peter the Great commissioned a pleasure palace across the sea from the island fortress of Kronstadt. Especially amazing is the Grand Cascade, a series of stepped fountains surrounded by gilded statues flowing down to a remarkable grand fountain.

Recent Posts: Tourists in Israel

For those who are visiting Eilat (or are going to do that) without plan (like most of you do), here are some tips for you to make your life a bit easier if you want to see something of Eilat. It’s the problem of getting there and how to move around and with what. Did you know that you can fly to Eilat instead of driving for 4 hours by car? Do you know how much that cost? It cost you $35 and 35 minutes. Voila, you earned your reading back with this.

Eilat’s accommodation ranges from the good to the bad to the downright ugly – this is not a place to expect a charming or unique hotel experience. As is the case with most resort towns, the cost of hotel rooms rises by about 25% at weekends and 50% (or more) during Israeli school holidays and in July/August. Reserve ahead during these times. The prices we have cited in our reviews are at the higher end of the mid-season range. If you enjoy staying in five-star chain hotels, you’ll be spoiled for choice. There are more than 50 options around the lagoons at North Beach and along the road to Taba, including nine Isrotels, two Dan Hotels and seven hotels in the Leonardo/Herod group. Most have bland decor, restaurants where the fixed-price buffet reigns supreme, large pool areas and decent but not exceptional levels of service.

Beaches and water sport are the dominating swimming activities in Eilat and in this article you will see what you can do here and what beaches we are talking about. In Eilat, there are two types of beach/water-tourists; those who love to swim in the Red Sea and those who prefer the water pools of their hotel.

Tel Aviv has loads of restaurants in all kinds, representing all areas of the Arab world, as is the rest of the world. And you know what, you can always find something for any budget. You can choose a boutique type restaurant, or you can choose a restaurant, where you have a full meal for a few shekels. And then there are those restaurants, which are based on the rising crop of ‘chef restaurants’ and an ever-growing number of swanky brasseries.

Recent Posts: Wim's Blog

You have a great idea and you want to earn money with it. That idea will be so great, you will become rich with that. Or what about people who think of themselves as business people with golden ideas. And all those ideas are Internet based. They think they only need a website and it will sell automatically and that’s it! And the majority fails. But what does it take to do such thing like that? This is an article about what people must consider before they can make this a reality with the help of the Internet and the steps they need to take before the actual work starts.

Blogs are popular and part of the social media. Everyone can create a blog and write there what they want. But not only blogs, also companies need websites, and organizations, institutions, governments, action groups, political parties, newspapers, and any individual wants to have a website. But all of that have something in common: they need a website. That website is stored and maintained on a server and that means that everyone needs to have a hosting account in order to host the website. And here the problems start. You are limited with maximum 17,647 page views per day.

Everyone who’s reading the mainstream media in the Internet gets the strong impression that Donald Trump is a really bad person and Hillary Clinton not. This is an understatement as ever. You don’t believe me? Do you want to see the proof with your own eyes? Go to news.google.com (aggregation of news of multiple sources) and read only the headlines about the American elections. Even when new revelations are coming in the open about criminal probes and investigations from the FBI against Hillary Clinton, there is still a very strange negativity of the news coverage of the mainstream media. And it doesn’t end with the negative coverage, no, not at all. They are using tactics to manipulate facts, vicious attacks on Trump’s character, straight out lying, cheating and much more to brush Donald Trump with the brush of tarnished evil. Ann Coulter on Breitbart wrote an interesting piece about those investigations and I could not help to expand on that.

A poll is nothing more than an attempt to predict an outcome based on what a relatively small sample of people say they are going to do. To suggest that they could be off by more than the statistical margin of error is just wishful thinking. Is that true? No. The polling industry is in the problems, because populations are simply getting sick of answering multiple times questions from pollsters. That’s why. So, does that mean that polls are or are not reliable?

The US Elections 2016 are becoming more dramatic by the hour. Each time new revelations are published about each candidate, muddling the actual elections and give preference for mudslinging, accusations, media manipulations, falsification of election data and polls, unprecedented interference of the current President, fraud, drop of confidence in the US government, unpopular politicians, conspiracies, corruption, manipulation, defect mainstream media and so much more. One Presidential candidate is under suspicion of Perjury, Obstruction of Justice, Bribery, Pay for Play,Illegal Use of a Nonprofit Organization, Racketeering and Fraud! If Hillary Clinton gets elected as the next President, those voters need to wait for a very long time before they have their president. And they take also the risk that this President will go to jail and dragging America further in the slumps and be the biggest embarrassment in the world.

Recent Posts: Shalom Israel

The dramatic story about Capenaum. How that little fishing town was once a nice town, hosting one of the most famous people in the world, then getting cursed by the same person and see the result of that now; only ruins left!

Here you see an overview about the public tours, created by Shalom Israel. There are many other tours, which are created as private tours and can’t be marketed or operated. The tours are coming in different settings. First of all, the tour itself is a VIP tour with the highest quality possible. Secondly, the tours can be customized and then can become even VIP Plus or a low-budget tour, as you wish.

This is a collection of random images about the beautiful country Israel with its variety in nature, culture, religion and its people. Its unparalleled in the world, and because of that, it’s a treasure chest for any tourist who wants to experience an unforgettable vacation for the whole family. The Shalom Tours are custom made and high quality and visit all of those places and much more.